For Union, a playoff push

At the midway point of the Major League Soccer season, the Union have gained enough respect that opponents no longer view them as an expansion team.

That said, however, there is a feeling that the team left some points on the field during the first half of the 30-game season.

As the second half begins with Thursday night's matchup against the Columbus Crew (10-4-4) at PPL Park, the Union (4-8-3) still have time to make a postseason run.

At first glance that may seem far-fetched since D.C. United is the only team with fewer than the Union's 15 points. But since eight of the league's 16 teams qualify for the playoffs and there is so much parity among them, a three-game winning streak could propel a team near the bottom into the hunt.

Of course, since the Union have never won even two in a row, that won't be easy.

"I think for any team the playoffs are the goal, and if you qualify, anything can happen," Union team manager Peter Nowak said.

Costly mistakes have hurt the Union most.

"We seem to find every single way of shooting ourselves in the foot and give away points in ways that have been unbelievably dumb," said central defender Danny Califf. "I think the first half of the season can be characterized as we took away points from ourselves."

The Union had to play a man down in two of the first three games after receiving red cards in the first half. Not surprisingly, they lost both times, a 2-0 opener at Seattle and a 2-1 defeat at Toronto in the third match.

There was also the costly hand ball on Michael Orozco Fiscal that led to a winning penalty kick by New York in the Red Bulls' 2-1 victory over the visiting Union on April 24.

Adding to the problems has been the inconsistent play in goal by Chris Seitz, a situation that became magnified when a 40-yard direct kick took a late bounce over the diving keeper in Saturday's 1-1 tie with the visiting New England Revolution.

Seitz has had his moments, such as stopping a penalty kick in a 3-1 win over Seattle Sounders FC in the PPL Park opener on June 27. But he has not been a difference maker and has allowed some questionable goals while playing every minute.

The team's defense, considered a strong point before the season, also has been inconsistent.

The two biggest positives have been the play of midfielder-forward Sebastien Le Toux and the development of rookie Danny Mwanga, the No. 1 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft.

Le Toux earned an all-star berth and has eight goals and seven assists after scoring just once last season for Seattle. He has been dangerous taking on defenders, shown great accuracy, and has drawn so much attention he has created opportunities for others.

Mwanga scored his first goal on May 15 in the 93d minute of a 1-1 tie with visiting FC Dallas. The 19-year-old forward now has five goals and three assists.

At times, he goes long stretches without getting touches, but he has shown an ability to give defenders multiple problems whether he is playing with his back to the goal or facing it.

"At the beginning of the year, everything was new and it was kind of hard," Mwanga said. "Thanks to my teammates and coaching staff, I have learned a lot, and hopefully I will continue to improve."

The Union could use another offensive threat. Midfielder Fred has two goals and is the only other player who has scored more than once.

Forward Alejandro Moreno, who draws plenty of fouls and has five assists, still hasn't found the back of the net.

The recent signings of midfielders Eduardo Coudet and Justin Mapp, both of whom were impressive in their first MLS game with the team on Saturday, could aid the Union in their playoff push. The fact that nine of the final 15 games are at PPL Park should help the cause.

"I think we have shed the expansion label and we are really confident that we will be able to post some wins and go on a streak," Califf said. "I think everybody in the locker room believes we can make the playoffs."